Interindividual variability in the structural and functional organization of human visual cortex

Our brains are equipped with extraordinary degrees of structure, typically found in similar cortical locations and with similar topography across individuals, indicating a common architectural design of sensory information representation.

Despite the striking similarity of this topographic organization across people, recent investigations have revealed compelling evidence of interindividual differences in the topography of early visual areas retinotopic maps as well as the size and spatial location of higher-order visual areas, challenging the notion of consistent mapping even at the earliest cortical processing stages.

Revealing what factors determine interindividual differences in retinotopic maps and functionally selective clusters promises a pathway toward understanding why our visual system is organized the way it is.

Through INVISION, I will determine the biological basis and experiential processes underlying interindividual variability in the functional organization of the human visual cortex and their functional significance for visual behavior.

I will achieve these goals by expanding my skill set to cover varied magnetic resonance imaging modalities and behavioral data analyses under the supervision of Prof.

Martin Hebart, a renowned researcher in vision sciences and particularly well-known for developing and utilizing large-scale functional datasets for understanding human visual perception, with additional support from Dr. Evgeniya Kirilina, with expertise in the analysis of diffusion-weighted imaging data.

By expanding my theoretical knowledge in vision sciences through one-on-one training with Prof.

Hebart, I aim to become an independent vision scientist with deep knowledge of human vision at the structural, functional, computational, and behavioral levels.